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Solomon Southwick
| birth_place = Newport, Rhode Island | death_date = November | death_place = Albany, New York | resting_place = Albany Rural Cemetery | spouse = Jane Barber (m. 1795) (d. January 31, 1861) | children = 9 (5 lived to adulthood) | occupation = Printer Newspaper publisher and editor Bank president Government official Political organizer | known_for = Organizer and proponent of the Anti-Masonic Party }} Solomon Southwick (December 25, 1773 - November 18, 1839) was an American poet and New York newspaper publisher and political figure, who was a principal organizer of the Anti-Masonic Party. Life Southwick was born in Newport, Rhode Island on December 25, 1773. He was the son of Ann Gardner (Carpenter) (1748-1783) and Solomon Southwick (1731-1797). The elder Solomon Southwick was the publisher of the Newport Mercury newspaper and an ardent supporter of the patriot cause during the American Revolution.Gorham A. Worth, Random Recollections of Albany: From 1800 to 1808, 1866, page 71James Moore Caller, Maria A. Ober, Genealogy of the Descendants of Lawrence and Cassandra Southwick, 1881, pages 96-97 Early career The younger Solomon Southwick was educated in Newport and initially apprenticed as a baker. He briefly pursued training as a commercial sailor, and moved to New York City in 1791 to become apprenticed as a printer. In 1792 he relocated to Albany, New York to work for the Albany Register, a newspaper aligned with the Democratic-Republican Party, which was owned by Robert and John Barber. His older brother Henry Southwick had also settled in Albany to begin a career as a printer, which likely influenced Solomon Southwick’s decision to move from New York City. Henry later also worked on the Albany Register.William Hunt, The American Biographical Sketch Book, 1849, pages 365-366 In 1795 Southwick married Jane Barber, the sister of Robert and John Barber. She was born in Albany between 1773 and 1775, and died in Albany on January 31, 1861. Solomon and Jane had 9 children, of whom 5 lived to adulthood..Charles Evans, American Bibliography: 1786-1789, 1912, page 190James Moore Caller, Maria A. Ober, Genealogy of the Descendants of Lawrence and Cassandra Southwick, 1881, pages 96-97 James Moore Caller, Maria A. Ober, Genealogy of the Descendants of Lawrence and Cassandra Southwick, 1881, pages 167-177 Later career In addition to editing the Albany Register, Southwick became active in civic life and took part in politics as a Democratic-Republican. He served on Albany’s volunteer fire department beginning in 1801, and was Clerk of the New York State Assembly from 1803 to 1806, and Clerk of the New York State Senate from 1807 to 1808.New York Red Book, Clerks of the Assembly, 1922, page 143Manual for Use of the Legislature of the State of New York, Clerks of the Senate, 1919, page 549 From 1808 to 1810 Southwick served as Sheriff of Albany County, New York. In 1812 he was appointed to the New York State Board of Regents, serving until 1823. Southwick studied law with Harmanus Bleecker, and was admitted to the bar in 1813. He was the official state printer, and continued to serve in local offices, including Postmaster of Albany. At the founding of the Farmers’ and Mechanics’ Bank in 1811, Southwick was elected to serve as its President.Joel Munsell, The Albany Annual Register for 1849-1850, Part 2, 1850, page 276Benson John Lossing, The Empire State: A Compendious History of the Commonwealth of New York, 1888, page 447William Lyon Mackenzie, The Life and Times of Martin Van Buren, 1846, page 25 In 1812 Southwick was tried for the charge of attempting to bribe Assembly Speaker Alexander Sheldon to procure Assembly votes in favor of a new central bank to replace the First Bank of the United States after the earlier bank’s charter had expired. Southwick appeared in court in Johnstown to face Judge James Kent. He was prosecuted by Thomas Addis Emmet, and defended by Aaron Burr, Daniel Cady, Abraham Van Vechten and Ebenezer Foote. The trial ended with Southwick’s acquittal.Edward French Bullard, The Green Bag magazine, Daniel Cady, March 1897, page 94F.W. Beers & Co., History of Montgomery and Fulton Counties, N.Y., 1878, page 200 Anti-Masonic views By 1817 or 1818 Southwick’s political views were no longer in line with those of the Democratic-Republicans, and he ceased publication of the Albany Register. He then published several specialty newspapers, including The Plough Boy, a publication which provided information about farming in New York and advocated the creation of local, county and state agricultural societies. He also published and edited the Christian Visitant, a religious magazine, and the National Democrat, a political newspaper which opposed the Democratic-Republicans. Southwick also ran quixotic campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, and for Governor of New York in 1822 as the candidate of the National Democrats (also called the National Republican Party).Brigham, Clarence S. "Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820 Part VII: New York (A-L)" Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society 27(1): 195-197;177-274. 1917George Rogers Howell, Bi-centennial History of County of Albany, 1609-1886, 1886, Volume 2, page 375New York Annual Register, Table Showing the Number of Votes at Election for Governor, 1830, page 7 In addition, Southwick opened an office that organized and operated lotteries to raise money for state projects and programs. According to Thurlow Weed and other contemporaries, Southwick appeared in the mid-1820s to have become eccentric, and consulted fortune tellers and mystics in an effort to obtain winning lottery numbers for contests held in other states. Weed and others indicate that Southwick acted for several years as though every time he checked his mail, he was sure to be notified that he had won a large sum, but he never did. When Southwick sustained personal financial losses in operating New York's lotteries, the state reimbursed him.Thurlow Weed, Thurlow Weed Barnes, Life of Thurlow Weed Including His Autobiography and a Memoir, Volume 1, 1884, page 102Evan Cornog, The Birth of Empire: DeWitt Clinton and the American Experience, 1769-1828, 1998, page 146Laws of the State of New York, Law Authorizing Commission to Settle Claims of Solomon Southwick, 1825, page 428 At the founding of the Anti-Masonic Party, Southwick became one of its chief organizers and proponents. He published the National Observer, an Anti-Masonic newspaper, and he ran unsuccessfully for Governor as an Anti-Mason in 1828.Ronald P. Formisano, For the People: American Populist Movements from the Revolution to the 1850s, 2008, page 103Joseph Blunt, editor, American Annual Register, Votes for Governor in 1828, 1829, page 25 By 1831 Anti-Masonic influence in New York was on the wane, and Southwick decided to take no further part in politics. He became a popular moralizer and sermonizer on the statewide lecture circuit, and frequently delivered addresses including The Bible, Temperance, and Self-Education, many of which were also reproduced as pamphlets. From 1837 to 1839 he was associated with the Family Newspaper, a periodical which was published by his son Alfred.George Rogers Howell, Bi-centennial History of County of Albany, 1609-1886, 1886, Volume 2, page 363 Additional published works The Pleasures of Poverty, a poem (Albany, 1823); A Solemn Warning Against Free-Masonry (1827); and Five Lessons for Young Men (1837).Solomon Southwick, The Pleasures of Poverty, 1823, title pageSolomon Southwick, "A Solemn Warning Against Free-Masonry", 1827, title pageSolomon Southwick, Five Lessons for Young Men, 1837, title page Death and burial Southwick died suddenly in Albany on November 18, 1839. He was originally buried at the Episcopal Church Cemetery on State Street in Albany, and later reinterred at Albany Rural Cemetery, Lot 72, Section 14.Alexander Clarence Flick, New York State Historical Association, New York History, Volume 37; Volume 54, 1956, page 308Joel Munsell, The Annals of Albany, Volume IV, 1850, page 298Albany Rural Cemetery Burial Cards, 1791-2011, entry for Solomon Southwick, retrieved April 25, 2014 Publications Poetry *''The Pleasures of Poverty. Albany, NY: S.W. Johnson, 1823. Non-fiction *''Republican nomination and address to the electors of the state of New-York. Albany, NY: Solomon Southwick, 1810. *''Address Delivered at the Opening of the New Theatre in the City of Albany by Mr. Southey, January 18, 1813''. Albany, NY: H.C. Southwick, 1813. *''S. Southwick's Address to the Republican Electors of the Middle District''. Albany, NY: 1819. *''Two Letters''. Albany, NY: E. & E. Hosford, 1819. *''Address, Delivered by Appointment, in the Episcopal Church: At the opening of the Apprentices' Library, in the city of Albany''. Albany, NY: John O'Cole, 1821. *''A Solemn Warning against Free-masonry''. Albany, NY: George Gelpin, 1827. *''An Oration: Delivered, by appointment, on the fourth day of July, A.D. 1828, in presence of the convention of seceding free masons''. Albany, NY: Webster & Wood, 1828. *''Speech of Solomon Southwick: At the opening of the New-York Anti-masonic State Convention''. Albany, NY: B.D. Packard, 1829. *''A View of the Origin, Powerful Influence and Pernicious Effects of Intemperance''. Albany, NY: Hosford & Wait, 1832. *''A Calm Appeal: To the citizens of the state of New York, on the expulsion of the Rev. James R. Wilson, from the House of assembly, as one of their chaplains''. Albany, NY: privately published, 1832. *''Sherlock's Letter Extra: To Thomas Herttell, member of the House of Assembly, for the City of New-York''. Albany, NY: Hoffman & White, 1834. *''A Layman's Apology: For the appointment of clerical chaplains by the legislature of the state of New York''. Albany, NY: Hoffman & White, 1834. *''Views of Elmira''. 1836. *''Five Lessons for Young Men''. Albany, NY: Alfred Southwick, 1837. *''An Oration Delivered ... before the Albany County Temperance Society, at the Reformed Dutch Church in Bethlehem, July 4th, 1838''. Albany, NY: Elm-tree Press, by A. Southwick, 1838. *''An Oration ... in commemoration of American independence: July fourth, 1839''. Albany, NY: Alfred Southwick, 1839. Edited *''The Christian Visitant'' (newspaper). Albany, NY: H.C. Southwick, 1815. *''The Plough-boy'' (newspaper). Albany, NY: Henry Homespun, Jr., 1819-1820; Albany, NY: John O. Cole, 1820. *''The National Democrat'' (newspaper). Albany, NY: William M'Dougall, 1823- *''The National Observer''. Albany, NY: Geo. Galpin, 1826- Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Solomon Southwick, WorldCat, OCLC, Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Nov. 28, 2016. See also *List of U.S. poets References External links ;Books *Solomon Southwick at Amazon.com ;About *Solomon Southwick (1773-1839) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 * Category:1773 births Category:1839 deaths Category:Businesspeople from Newport, Rhode Island Category:People from Albany, New York Category:New York Democratic-Republicans Category:New York National Republicans Category:New York gubernatorial candidates Category:Anti-Masonic Party politicians from New York Category:19th-century American politicians Category:American printers Category:19th-century American newspaper editors Category:19th-century American writers Category:American bank presidents Category:New York lawyers Category:Sheriffs of Albany County, New York Category:Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery Category:Clerks of the New York State Assembly Category:Journalists from New York Category:19th-century poets Category:American poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets